BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2520
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Date of Hearing: May 4, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
AB
2520 (Rodriguez) - As Amended April 14, 2016
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill requires the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC)
to report to the Legislature and the Governor, by the 2017-18
academic year, on measures to increase student participation in
state and federal financial aid programs, and requires the
commission's recommendations to include:
1)At least one measure to encourage and support high school
pupils in completing and submitting the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
AB 2520
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2)At least one measure to address the barrier of a student who
is unable to access his or her parents' financial information
in order to complete and submit the FAFSA.
FISCAL EFFECT:
One-time General Fund cost of $50,000 for CSAC to complete the
report prior to the 2017-18 academic year.
COMMENTS:
Purpose. According to the author, the rising cost of a higher
education is burdensome for anyone planning to attend college,
but for low-income students it is particularly discouraging. In
2014, the Education Trust-West (ETW) did an analysis of the
FAFSA and Cal Grant application data from CSAC and found that,
while the number of completions increased from the previous
year, there is still a large percentage of eligible students
that did not apply for financial aid. The Institute for College
Access and Success (TICAS) also found only 33% of California
community college students apply for financial aid, compared to
46% in other states.
Analysis Prepared by:Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916)
319-2081
AB 2520
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